China League One: Picking The Best Games In Round 29

Having smashed local rivals BIT in their previous game, Beijing Baxy are still in with a chance of staying in the league but have to keep winning against a vastly underperforming Guangdong Sunray Cave outfit.

GSC are all but mathematically safe from relegation and will frankly want to be done with a season that has been a disaster from start to finish. Last season, the home side were within a point of being promoted to the Chinese Super League but this time around, everything has gone wrong for Guangzhou’s third team and their overall form this year has not been pretty.

Baxy, with the wind in their sails need another improbable away win to keep their faint hopes of survival alive and Momar N’Diaye could be the man to do it- the Senegalese striker has only scored six times this season but if he can suddenly find another one or two, than the away side might still be alive and kicking going into the final game of the season. Its a long shot but that’s all Baxy have got to work with at this point.

Shanghai East Asia (1st) – Beijing Institute of Technology (14th)

Shanghai East Asia play their final home game of the 2012 CL1 season on Saturday and a win against the visiting Beijing Institute of Technology would ensure that the home team secure the symbolic prize of finishing as league champions. Wu Lei got a brace two weeks ago and will be aiming to keep the goals flowing against a limited away side.

However, BIT are one of a handful of teams still in the relegation battle (but crucially are four points ahead of the teams below them in the standings) meaning that a draw would be enough to ensure they remain in CL1 until next season at least. However, having shipped four goals in a stunning home defeat to hometown rivals and fellow candidates for the drop, Beijing Baxy, it remains to be seen if a faltering BIT will be able to keep their composure should East Asia come out all guns blazing.

Expect East Asia to try to win this game and finish on a positive infront of their loyal home support. Luis Carlos Cabezas would also like to stay with the team next season and a couple of goals might help persuade East Asia to make the striker’s loan deal more permanent. This could and should be bad news for BIT, who as the weaker team could lose this game by more than one goal.

Wuhan Zall (2nd) – Hohhot Dongjin (16th)

Like East Asia, this will be Wuhan’s final game infront of their home fans and they will want to finish on a high. Having lost the previous week to Chongqing FC has done little to dampen the home team’s delight at being promoted into the Chinese Super League due to other results going their way and the feel-good feeling is still going to be echoing around the stadium for the visit of struggling Hohhot Dongjin.

Hohhot need a minor miracle to stay in the league and must win their two final games and hope that their rivals for the drop lose all of their remaining matches. However the likelihood of a Dongjin victory is low- they haven’t won a game since August and their record away from home is terrible. Like East Asia’s game, expect Wuhan to see out their final 2012 home fixture with a solid victory and in doing so consign a plucky but vastly understaffed visiting team to the Chinese third division.

A passionate fan of the beautiful game, Andrew Crawford has lived a somewhat nomadic existance for the last few years that has involved stays in various corners of Africa, Asia and Europe. His most treasured footballing experiences are watching Hibernian beat Celtic 3-2 in front of a packed Easter Road during his university days and his time as the content writer for Nairobi City Stars, a Nairobi-based team based in the Kawangare slums who play in the Kenyan Premier League.
A football polygamist, he always keeps an eye on the fortunes of the various teams who've stole his heart during his childhood and then subsequent manhood; Cambridge United, Ryman League's finest, Bury Town, Hibernian and Nairobi City Stars. Though recently arrived in Shanghai, he has already become addicted to the atmosphere at the Honkou and looks forward to watching his new team at every chance he gets.
He is also runs and writes for sharkfinhoops.com, the only English-speaking website about the fortunes of the Shanghai Sharks basketball team. You should check that out as well.

2 Comments

2 Comments

Donald

18/10/2012 at 10:34

I was thinking about going to the Guangdong Sunray Cave game. Any ideas about how to buy a ticket?